Various embodiments of support devices for life raft containers are known which may, in particular, be intended to be fixed (for example by screwing) to the bridge, the pulpit, the binnacle roof, the upper stern or an equivalent superstructure of a yacht.
In said known devices, the support plate, whatever its shape (in particular a basket-shaped plate consisting of shaped metal sections) is dimensionally adapted to the shape and dimensions of a specific container, such that it is necessary to design as many support plates as there are containers of different dimensions. Being of limited distribution due to their specific shape, such support plates have a high cost price.
Certain plates of extremely simplified structure do not achieve a sufficiently efficient retention of the container which risks being carried away by, for example, a violent wave.
The fixing of the container to the support plate is generally carried out using straps fixed to the support plate by being tightened over the container. The drawback of the fixing method lies in the poor performance of the straps over time in the presence of sunshine, rain and the sea air. The straps loosen and have to be retensioned regularly; they deteriorate rapidly and have to be replaced regularly.
Sometimes, the fixing of the container to the support plate is carried out by means of one or more metal bars fixed to the plate, spanning the container. The drawback with this solution, once again, lies in the fact that the bars are dimensionally adapted to the shape and dimensions of a specific container.